Women who tend to gain weight around their waists are said to have apple-shaped bodies because their weight collects around their middles.

The classic apple-shaped woman has slender and shapely legs, narrow hips, large breasts, and a relatively large waist. She probably owns few, if any, belts, but short skirts and men's-fit or slim-leg blue jeans look good on her.

Apple-shaped women have more visceral fat, which is more metabolically active than subcutaneous fat, and most of what it does is harmful to the body. Visceral fat decreases insulin sensitivity (making diabetes more likely), increases triglycerides, decreases levels of HDL cholesterol, creates more inflammation, and raises blood pressure—all of which increase the risk of heart disease. Visceral fat releases more of its free fatty acids into the blood stream, further increasing the risk of both diabetes and heart disease. The overall effect of excess visceral fat is that it creates a physical environment that is primed for heart disease and stroke, and greatly increases the risk for certain cancers such as breast and endometrial cancer. The more abdominal fat, the greater the waist circumference, and the higher the WHR, the more dangerous the situation becomes.

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